Back in 1979, I started to record my dreams each night and morning as I awoke. About two weeks after I began, I had an extremely vivid dream of an explosion with a woman and men somehow involved. My wife and I, at that time, owned an international, wholesale tour company, and were planning a trip to Manila for a world congress of travel agents. We both decided to delete the Manila portion of the trip and added days to Taiwan and Hong Kong. On the first day of the congress, terrorists blew up a bomb near the front of the stage where we would normally have sat, injuring ten travel agents. Later, a woman that worked in the Philippines cultural office in Los Angeles and four other men were arrested. Afterwards, I vowed to record my dreams the rest of my life.

Below are seven reasons why you should record your dreams each day, one of which I touched on above.

1. Dreams are messages from our souls.

The dream state is much more complex than you might imagine. When entering that quantum state during dreamtime, most of the time our dreams appear symbolically. Some people are much better at interpreting these symbols than the rest of us. I found a paperback book titled The Dreamer’s Dictionary by Lady Stearn Robinson and Tom Corbett, which seemed to interpret my dreams better than other similar dictionaries. I’ve probably worn out six or eight of these paperback dictionaries over the years. Our souls send us messages couched in these dream symbols. They can be warnings of upcoming challenges, or encouragement when we need it that things are going to be better soon.

2. As noted above, dreams can be precognitive.

Besides many, many personal precognitive dreams, I’ve had a number of dreams about upcoming events, usually couched in dream symbology. As an example, in 1985 I dreamed about a delta-shaped aircraft crashing a week or so before Delta Airlines Flight 191 crashed at the Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport. Shortly before the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on takeoff in 1986, I dreamed of being in a glass capsule high above the earth and then suddenly beneath the ocean. Before 911, I had three dreams: The first one was a biplane crashing—symbolizing two wings. The second one was a passenger jet crashing to the east of Chicago; and the third one was a tornado (my symbol that something bad is going to occur) going across an office building with a line of people sitting in invisible chairs following behind.

By the same token, we will also have many pleasant precognitive dreams, like money on the way, a great change of location, or the love of our life who will soon appear.

3. The practice of recording dreams will help in meditation.

It will help you to receive images in an altered Alpha state. I never really thought I would be able to communicate with “spirit” as I’m able to do now with my own Guardian Angel (GA) that I call Theo, and with Gaia, the soul of the earth. But I look back at the thousands of times I have recorded my dreams when I was in that same Alpha state before becoming fully awake, and I realize that staying in that “zone” is great practice for what I call my “active” meditations. It helps us to recognize images as they appear during meditation, or to receive “thought packets” as my GA Theo calls them.

4. We see whom it is that we assist in the dream state.

Theo tells me that when we are in the dream state, we travel all over the universe to help other beings in solving their problems, since we solve more problems in one day on Earth than many beings encounter in one universal year. There is a group of whole souls, that we call “dream angels,” who receive these requests and assign one of us to solve the problem during our dreamtime. Only rarely do we notice that the beings we serve do not appear human. This is done so that we don’t become frightened by their appearance. Most of the time we appear during their dreams to help them solve a problem.

5. Ability to view other parallel lives.

Have you ever remembered a dream where it seemed to be the present day, but perhaps you were in some different situation? When we sold our tour business in the early eighties we started an international film and TV program distribution business. Nevertheless, for years I would continue to have dreams of running tours and making those business decisions. Theo explains that there are twelve parallel lives going on for each of our lives on Earth. He calls them “time lines,” with the 12 divided into four frequencies and then into twos. We’re on Time Line 6—a middle frequency, tied closely with Time Line 5. He told me on Time Lines 4 and 5 I’m still in the tour business. It was the same for Time Lines 1 and 2, but I died of congestive heart failure. On the upper time lines, I became a science fiction writer right out of college, eventually writing esoteric books. Consequently, this all goes to illustrate that we can explore those other parallel lives during our dreamtime.

6. Ability to view our past and future lives.

When I first started recording my dreams, I had many violent dreams of past battles in history. Obviously, I was reliving some of these lives where I was in the Crusades, World War I and many other ancient battles. This went on for about a year, and after that the dreams became much more “normal,” as I call them. But I’ve also had dreams of being on space ships and very futuristic settings. Theo tells me that my next life on Earth will be as a pilot on board one of 17 Earth starships in the 3400 era. Remember that we are in a special space-time continuum, and all of our lives on Earth are occurring at the same time as time is an illusion to us.

If you have a disturbing dream, you can say (or whisper) out loud, “I request a Most Benevolent Outcome for anything this dream pertains to in my physical life, thank you!” I’ve even requested these MBOs, as I call them, in the middle of dreams. It will mitigate and lessen the challenge that perhaps is coming your way.

In many of these dreams, I’ve found that we mix past, present and future when we are in a quantum state. This is done to give us information—those messages from our souls that I previously mentioned. Even now, there are still dreams that I have no idea what they mean, but I write them down anyway; and I try and go back periodically and read them as the mere physical act of recording the dreams helps us understand the messages on a subconscious level.

7. Recording our dreams prepares us for an easy transition.

The astral body at death, I’ve been told, is the same as the one you use during your travels across the universe. You are just no longer tethered. Recording your dreams helps you to feel comfortable and not frightened when you transition.

Let’s now look at the practical steps to remembering your dreams. I’ve heard many people say they don’t dream, but that’s not true—everyone does. It’s just that they don’t make it a priority to remember the dreams. First, go to your local variety store or supermarket and buy a notebook containing the largest number of pages. You are making a physical commitment. Next, use a penlight with brightness large enough to see in a dark room and a pen with ink dark enough to see on a dimly lit page.

Each night before bed, open the notebook and write the next day’s date and what town or city you’re in—again, reinforcing your desire physically to remember your dreams. I normally set my penlight on top of the dream dictionary. At this time, say out loud, “I wish to remember my dreams tonight,” or even better, “I request a Most Benevolent Outcome to remember my dreams tonight, thank you!” This lets all your guides know you are serious about remembering your dreams.

Then, if you awaken in the middle of the night, get up and take your notebook, light and dictionary into another room so you won’t disturb your bedmate, and write the dream, or dreams, down. Use the dictionary to look up the symbols. You might only remember an image, or a couple of words—that’s fine, write it down. I still have nights where I don’t recall any dreams, but the most dreams I remember writing down in one night were nine. Some dreams will be very detailed and you’ll write a whole page about them, yet others, just a sentence.

Recording our dreams each night will open up a whole new understanding of the amazing world we encounter each night in our dreamtime.

About the Author:
Tom T. Moore is the author of the three The Gentle Way books and a frequent radio guest. If you would like to learn more about requesting benevolent outcomes and living The Gentle Way, visit his website at
www.thegentlewaybook.com
.]]>Dream JournalsWed, 20 Aug 2014 22:10:31 +0000Dream Interpretation References - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/7054-dream-interpretation-references#19491
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/7054-dream-interpretation-references#19491
http://spiritlodge.yuku.com/forums/65/Totem-Library
]]>Dream JournalsThu, 23 Jun 2011 15:11:03 +0000Purpose of This Area - by: Icarushttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/3999-purpose-of-this-area#3999
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/3999-purpose-of-this-area#3999
We were thinking that it would be best if everyone just started their own thread and kept all of their dreams in one place. If you do not want other people commenting on the dreams, then just state this in your opening post. Otherwise, it's free game.]]>Dream JournalsThu, 15 Nov 2007 15:08:50 +0000Strange Dream - by: Eli Johnnyhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31942-strange-dream#55729
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31942-strange-dream#55729Dream JournalsWed, 10 May 2017 18:49:01 +0000jediknight 7s dream journal - by: Eli Johnnyhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31940-jediknight-7s-dream-journal#55725
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31940-jediknight-7s-dream-journal#55725
so i get to the party and i remember seeing this beautiful girl who i swear i know but i dont. and so im walking around the party and thats all i really remember.]]>Dream JournalsMon, 08 May 2017 17:53:02 +0000Fezzik's Dream Journal (Feedback Welcome) - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31868-fezzik-s-dream-journal-feedback-welcome?start=10#55439
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31868-fezzik-s-dream-journal-feedback-welcome?start=10#55439Dream JournalsMon, 27 Feb 2017 20:58:28 +0000A Dream Once Had (and later sensed in real life)—open to discussion - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31777-a-dream-once-had-and-later-sensed-in-real-life-open-to-discussion#53932
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31777-a-dream-once-had-and-later-sensed-in-real-life-open-to-discussion#53932

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk]]>Dream JournalsTue, 26 Jul 2016 05:21:28 +0000Adventures in StormyKat Land aka a Dream Journal - by: Katie (StormyKat)http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/30657-adventures-in-stormykat-land-aka-a-dream-journal?start=10#49334
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/30657-adventures-in-stormykat-land-aka-a-dream-journal?start=10#49334
My dreams started off in their weird way, I was on some adventure of some sort that I can't remember. Where the dream comes into focus I am standing in a large room--an underground atrium of sorts with openings leading down many different hallways. It was darkish-I could see, etc, but it felt dark. The whole setting around me felt dark; and like rock. I got the impression the walls, floor, ceiling were carved out of rock, like we were inside this huge never ending cafe that held stores, and factories and all these other weird things.

The whole "point" of the dream was to find out who was trying to stop a wedding. I had to figure out who the person was before s/he did it. The girl getting married was someone I went to high school with. We had mutual friends but never liked each other. The wedding itself was a huge ordeal, almost like a theater production, with a massively large crowd gathered for the ceremonies. After many scary adventures, exploring the many different paths of this atrium place, with people who are part of my current life and wouldn't know the "bride" of the dream. At the very last minute I, as well as the people who were helping me, figured out who it was. We had seen her earlier in the dream and she had been tagged by yellow paint on her face when a co-worker shot an arrow at her. It was a lady who was adamant about stopping the wedding because the groom-who was wearing some sort of ethnic outfit and was a very meek personality, was actually interested in marrying another man. This wedding was going to be a sham wedding.

I remember feeling anxious the whole dream, like I had to stop the disruption because the bride was a dear friend of mine and I wanted her to be happy. At the end of the dream, when I found out who the bride actually was, I was really disappointed. Because I knew she didn't care that I did it. And the only thing I saved her from was a fake marriage. I thought I was stopping like a murder or something.

This dream was immediately followed by a dream where I was the potential bride. I was interviewing a potential husband. I was also very clearly a Jedi. There was a community of Jedi around me, and this marriage thing was cool. Not like an Anakin/Padme marriage. There were a bunch of other female Jedi around me doing the same thing. The dude I was interviewing made some comment about me being a Jedi or a Feminist, something about me being too strong and independent. So I of course chased him away. Because I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. I was vocal and strong and stood up for myself in a way I never do in real life. So after the dude left I got all depressed because I was concerned I was never going to find the right guy. I was talking to a faceless mentor about my concerns. She told me not to worry, and to give up because there was already someone who really loved me. And she named someone-a fictional character who appeared in my dream--and told me it was very clear he was interested in me. I got all embarrassed and shy. (and I am pretty sure I am blushing as I type) and that's all I remember. I remember feeling really good to know that someone liked me, and that silly feeling you get when you start out a new relationship. And that was that.

Two wedding dreams back to back, with very different stories and contexts...I don't know what to make of it.]]>Dream JournalsMon, 05 Oct 2015 01:40:42 +0000Where in all 9 Corellian Hells Am I? - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31352-where-in-all-9-corellian-hells-am-i#49330
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/31352-where-in-all-9-corellian-hells-am-i#49330Dream JournalsSun, 04 Oct 2015 23:42:30 +0000Connor's Dream Journal - by: Connorhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/30501-connor-s-dream-journal?start=10#47680
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/30501-connor-s-dream-journal?start=10#47680
Um. I really have not had success yet. I am getting a good amount of sleep each night. around 7.5-8 hours. I am doing my awakeness checks. But, it's hard to remember. I should keep checking and try to get up to 20-30 checks a day.

I just have to wait for me to begin remembering dreams. Once that stage happens, then I think I will go back to Lucid Dreaming fairly quickly and easily.]]>Dream JournalsSun, 21 Jun 2015 19:56:37 +0000Sinistra's Dream Log - by: Sinistrahttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/27343-sinistra-s-dream-log?start=20#45134
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/27343-sinistra-s-dream-log?start=20#45134
In the first one I went into that flat from which I believed at a young age that there is a secret passageway between the two corridors in one of the stairs. I saw a guy coming out from his apartment and asked him.if he knew about this passageway. He said to me that there is the door in front of me and told me to open. I did it so and what I saw behind it was ridiculous kinda and weird, too. I saw a huge pool full of water and people, but not just the water but the floor was full of water, too. I met my classmate there who invited me together with few other people to go to swim and play with them. They said i can go in with full clothes. I did so but after a while I realized that clothes disturb me in swimming so I took them off all.
One of the guys asked me : "Doesn't it bother you that people are staring at you?" I shrugged and said no, and continued swimming.

My other dream took place in the same area. Someone with a monster threatened the innocent people there so I wanted to go and save people, but suddenly I killed accidentaly the master of the monster. After that I said: "Hey. Join me please, he didn't like you the way you deserve. I will be much better master of you." But the monster didn't listen to me, but didn't hurt me either. He just kept staring at me with his angry eyes.

The dream I had at last night was weird and terrible at the same time. I very rarely have nightmares and they usually aren't that scary - sometimes I consider scary dreams only to be strange and am not scared about them all - they are rather sad and bizarre in a bad meaning. So in nutshell it wasn't that usually eventful, it was about that I had serious depression or other kind of mental illnesses and my friends took me to a strange-looking hospital where doctors bombarded me with a throng of antidepressants. After that I felt "better" than my depressive state but I was conscious enough to know tgat the reality I sensed was only through the eyes of medication and everything I saw, felt, sensed that time, was merely an illusion, a lie. This realization shocked me very much and I was even more sad than ever. It was a really terrible dream. ]]>Dream JournalsFri, 02 Jan 2015 12:25:25 +0000Jax's dream log - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/4033-jax-s-dream-log?start=220#42068
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/4033-jax-s-dream-log?start=220#42068
Last night, or this morning, I dreamt that I got a call from the NASA folks saying they were looking for former employees who had time to go to the space station for a week or something. I of course wanted to go, but being pregnant wasn't sure if it would be ok on their end. I wasn't worried myself though. So in the dream it was this long drawn out thing of getting some blood work and asking if it would be ok. Not nearly as exciting as it should have been. lol

An old dream that I forgot to write up, and will also copy to my journal, was also inane on the surface. I was reliving an event earlier where I was showing one of our cats the ultrasound picture. But in the dream I could hear her response, that it was a little creepy because it looked like the baby's hand was coming toward her. What's interesting is that, I told my wife this later (that it was the response, not that it came from a dream) and the cat said, how did you know? It took us a good day to figure out how this all happened. My wife can hear the cats most of the time quite clearly. For me it is very rare, and typically while half asleep. But it turns out, you can actually decode the message later while sleeping, and it comes through in the dream. It's pretty awesome!]]>Dream JournalsMon, 04 Aug 2014 16:36:09 +0000Bright Soul's Dream Diary - by: Bright Soulhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/30730-bright-soul-s-dream-diary#41766
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/30730-bright-soul-s-dream-diary#41766Dream JournalsMon, 28 Jul 2014 17:24:25 +0000Dineara's dream journal - by: Kol Drakehttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/28646-dineara-s-dream-journal?start=50#37939
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/28646-dineara-s-dream-journal?start=50#37939]]>Dream JournalsSun, 15 Dec 2013 06:01:51 +0000Memnoich's dream log - by: Kol Drakehttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/5179-memnoich-s-dream-log?start=30#36940
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/5179-memnoich-s-dream-log?start=30#36940

...the biggest regret I had was that my son would never truly get to know his godfather "Air-won", never get to sit down, have a cup of coffee, and spend hours just BS'ing. I think part of what is hurting, is the reminder of my birthday coming up next week, mine is Sept 17th, his was Sept 23rd...

While not there 'physically', perhaps you can celebrate the times/experiences you had with your son... being a 'speaker for those who passed'... regale him with those tales of those times; paint the picture of the man you shared time and life with. Do it on his b-day or schedule special times of remembrance. It allows you to relish the man and the times and the past while giving some of that wisdom to your son gently.]]>Dream JournalsFri, 13 Sep 2013 20:59:05 +0000Yoshio's Dream Log - by: Johannes (Yoshio)http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/16208-yoshio-s-dream-log?start=40#36656
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/16208-yoshio-s-dream-log?start=40#36656
Anyway, I really do feel that I need to watch myself closer and be more aware of or better said put more focus on what is going on around me and within me as I do feel that there are some changes happening which I not yet (fully) understand.]]>Dream JournalsMon, 26 Aug 2013 13:41:17 +0000Nitsud A.S. (After Sheep) - by: Dustinhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/25744-nitsud-a-s-after-sheep#34611
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/25744-nitsud-a-s-after-sheep#34611could do is be aware of their plight even while I moved through my own life which, in the dream, felt to be progressing to the point of an exponential success. I got a sense that this person in the dream was trying to mimic or surpass me and couldn't comprehend how their narrow focused idolization of my output only compounded the issues with their choices which proceed to a point of near frantic desperation where they got caught doing something criminal.

This situation was a source of conflict and helplessness to me. My successes were their the motives yet those successes were incidental and irrelevant to me. My apparent arrogance was, in real time execution, me choosing to trust my ability to judge the nature of the various situations I went through. Yet regardless of how much it was they who perverted what I said, did, felt, etc I can't help but feel responsible because, like a bug zapper, my life was like a beacon that contributed to their downfall. I could intimately see all of their errors for what they were yet I couldn't think of a way to help them without making matters worse

The emotional aspect of this dream is really the most vivid part I recall since the feelings are the accumulative sum of the dream where what specific events I can recall are nonsensical. I remember near the end of the dream I was on the ground watching this person lapel down a glass office building, presumably where we worked, to drill holes in the glass and replace something I did on the other side of the glass. I don't remember if they were trying to make me look bad or make themselves look good... I probably didn't know or care either way. The only thing I felt in that moment was the sort of helpless and sad empathy one gets when while watching someone screw up their life. When the person was done and on the ground they were arrested for defacing property and the law enforcement person put a weird white polygonish helmet on their head; like what a horses head would look like if, instead of being rounded, it had all flat sides and basic angles.

Weird.]]>Dream JournalsMon, 29 Apr 2013 18:47:14 +0000Dream Journal of Lucas - by: Lucashttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/28908-dream-journal-of-lucas#29831
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/28908-dream-journal-of-lucas#29831
Form what I remmember... At first I found out that I was impregnated by a guy on whose property we were staying. (I'm a guy.) I had hard time during my dream wraping my mind around this wtf, and came to conclusion, that since I wasn pregnant a moment ago, and i don't remmember... you know what with him, that he must have drugged me. Um... I, am, a, guy. Wtf brain? o.O

Later, I was in a post-apocalyptic-survival kind of place. It was red. Martian like. Then it was al snowy and icy, and it turned into a computer game, and I was told by it's creators that If I made a advertising-type-of video of the game that would present anal sex kind-of as a joke. I've seen a video of Jon-lajoye or what ever his name is, before going to sleep, of a 'prank war' that ended with two guys having sex... Yeah, never mind. But that might be where it came from.
So I went for it. There was a boat encased in ice, and I started to slide on the frozen, small canal towards it. When I got there, I think my mother was there to force my brother whom was with her, to help me in my endeavour....

Later, I was on a bus stop. I entered the bus and took a sit. It might have turned into a train, and I begun eating... something. Like a frozen fish and chips. There was a girl next to me, blonde. She started asking people around her for a university text book. She asked me, and I answered with a smile that I don't go to a university. She snorted, in an insulting manner, and I immediatelly moved my hand to punch her of the top of her head lightly, but backed my hand quickly, and I called her out on insulting me for not attending university. She started making funny, smily faces the type of 'it's so funny, and I'm so shy and this gy is so stupid omg totally', and she said that she considers it a pinnacle of being pathetic. That it's like going from a level of a dumb cock(animal) of -10 points, to -22. Whoa, I was a bit enraged and before I was able to pronounce to her how wrong she is, and how I'll be rich while she'll be making minimal wage as a cashier like most students in Poland do, I woke up. xP

A seriously strange dreams I do have... Think about my sanity, I should.]]>Dream JournalsTue, 28 Aug 2012 06:43:39 +0000Zeph's Dream Log - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/28740-zeph-s-dream-log?start=40#29740
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/28740-zeph-s-dream-log?start=40#29740Dream JournalsFri, 24 Aug 2012 14:19:40 +0000Inari's dream log - by: inarihttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/4064-inari-s-dream-log?start=380#29616
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/4064-inari-s-dream-log?start=380#29616
Interesting dream on the weekend. I was standing in a large, shallow pool of water, which was also a waterfall. The water was not flowing, or at least flowing so slowly there was no current or disturbance of the riverbed. Dotted around the the expanse of water were clumps of large, flowering rushes, looking sort of like irises.

I was walking barefoot in the mud and using my toes to feel around for things buried in the mud. First of all, I found two large (read, as long as my forearm) clear crystals, like quartz. Then, I found a bunch of hat pins with large glass beads at the top (no I did not stab my foot). Then, finally, I found two tall, narrow, colourful glass pitchers, but small, like ornaments, not something you would use.]]>Dream JournalsTue, 21 Aug 2012 09:01:37 +0000Explanation of Shadow Totems - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/29199-explanation-of-shadow-totems#29199
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/29199-explanation-of-shadow-totems#29199
http://www.wildspeak.com/other/shadowanimals.html

What is a Shadow Energy?

The shadow energy (more familiarly known as 'totem') is an animal that challenges us somehow.

We fear it, or we dislike it. We experience an irrational feeling of distaste or revulsion towards it. It is an animal that we might kill, or avoid, or turn off when we see it on television, and it is an animal that can feature in our nightmares or that may even have attacked us in the past.

It is thought that we fear these animals because they teach us the lessons that we don't want to learn, because we fear what we might lose in the process and even what we may gain. We may fear what the animal may tell us about ourselves, often it forces us to confront harsh truths about ourselves. What we dislike most about the animal, may be what we dislike most in ourselves, or it might represent something that happened to us, or is happening to us, that feels harmful and unpleasant. In extreme cases, we can develop phobias of these animals. Or worse, we may begin to kill them en masse if we get the opportunity.

It is called a 'shadow' energy, because like many aspects of ourselves that we don't like, it is often marginalised and ignored. Even spiritual people have a tough time confronting and working with their shadow energies.

It is possible to have more than one shadow energy, and it is possible for them to change over time. Almost everyone has them. In some cases it's easier to know which animals we have problems with than others, because they might be animals we confront regularly like spiders or fleas. Sometimes it's more difficult, it's an animal that's easy to avoid because it might only be at the zoo, or in books.

There are of course a lot of others! You might think of fears and dislikes your friends have had in the past, or fears and dislikes you have had.

Ask yourself the question:

If you fear 'spiders', you need to be very exact. Do you fear ALL spiders? Or the poisonous ones? Or the fast ones? Or the big tarantula ones? Do you fear all wasps? Even the ones you've never seen? Why? What about cuckoos? Do you hate them because they push eggs out of the nest? Or because you think they're ugly?

Ask yourself the relevant questions, WHY do you fear or dislike the animal. Start simple. Write down some answers to these questions and you can start to narrow down the nature of your fear:

What kind of 'animal' is it?

What does it look like?

How does it act?

How does it move?

Can it hurt me?

Do I fear / hate it as much as other animals that can hurt me more or in the same way?

Powerful Medicine

Needless to say, one of the most powerful exercises we can do, is confront our shadow aspects and work with them consciously and subconsciously to create a working relationship with them. This is a spiritual process, often initiated through meditation and visualisation of the animal itself, and can force us to light a candle to the shadows of ourselves that we deny, or suppress, or ignore.

Shadow energies have powerful medicine, if we imagine that we are trying to always improve ourselves and get closer to the spirit and wholeness, the shadow animal can give us very direct paths to this. Shadow energies are not gentle, they do not coddle us, and sometimes working with them can involve tears, terror, and even pain if the animal has attacked us in the past, but they do show us very direct paths to the spirit, and to home truths that once confronted, often show that the animal itself is not half as fearful as we thought it was!

For example, venomous animals often force us to confront that we too are capable of brutal, poisonous acts to get what we want. There's no point denying it, and spiders and snakes (and other venomous animals) tell us that we need to not only confront this truth, but embrace it, and eventually learn how to love and understand it. Through this love and understanding, we reach a new respect of ourselves and the animal through spiritual work.

Sometimes shadow energies will even become your primary 'totem', or one of your more significant guides. If you are open and honest with the animal and with yourself, you may even develop a powerful ally who can help you in otherworlds, ritual and spellwork. You will also become well-equipped to help others face their own fears and dislikes of the same animal, because you will often know what you had to go through to get to a place of understanding.

Taking your time.

Some people like fast results in their spirituality, the idea of a long and protracted journey of hard work with little results can be frustrating to say the least. But with shadow animals it is important to understand that reconciling your shadow self, even aspects of your shadow self, with your conscious self can be a difficult and ongoing process.

Of course the process might also be very fast! You might have a lightning bolt of realisation and suddenly go 'yes! I do hate that about myself, and I fear this, and I'm going to do *this* to fix it, why did I never figure that out before?' But most of the time this process is slow and ongoing, and entirely worth it and rewarding in the end.

Don't force the process, sometimes you will not be ready at all, and you will know when it happens. Be patient with yourself. Respect and understand yourself and your spiritual journey as you are learning to respect and understand your shadow energies.]]>Dream JournalsFri, 10 Aug 2012 18:15:17 +0000Ace's Dream Log - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/28165-ace-s-dream-log#28249
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/28165-ace-s-dream-log#28249
I'm not sure what the apocalyptic dream means.]]>Dream JournalsTue, 17 Jul 2012 16:17:08 +0000Kol Drake's Delusions - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/4335-kol-drake-s-delusions#26610
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/4335-kol-drake-s-delusions#26610Dream JournalsWed, 02 May 2012 20:01:40 +0000Rambling Dreams of Icarus - by: Icarushttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/11819-rambling-dreams-of-icarus?start=70#26453
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/11819-rambling-dreams-of-icarus?start=70#26453Dream JournalsWed, 25 Apr 2012 15:22:00 +0000Adana's Dream Journal - by: Adanahttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/10451-adana-s-dream-journal?start=10#19877
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/10451-adana-s-dream-journal?start=10#19877
I can actually deal with that if I have to. There are worse things than tidy-whities in the bathroom]]>Dream JournalsTue, 19 Jul 2011 15:04:55 +0000Loremaster's dream journal - by: Loremasterhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/5456-loremaster-s-dream-journal#19556
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/5456-loremaster-s-dream-journal#19556
My dreams then shifted to a university (I have been "going to school" of late at a seminary and have one more class to go in theology there) and everyone was in black or white except me...I was black, white, fawn colored and a rather ugly shade of green. I know each color represented a spiritual part of myself but they are all mixed up in my mind now. One (the fawn color) represented the Gaelic concept of anam chara. The black represented magic, I know. The white and green I am not too sure about but they were feminine aspects of something. ]]>Dream JournalsMon, 27 Jun 2011 11:59:48 +0000Stryse's Adventures in the DreamScape - by: Strysehttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/15349-stryse-s-adventures-in-the-dreamscape#16286
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/15349-stryse-s-adventures-in-the-dreamscape#16286
Reference to Elder Scrolls (specifically oblivion since I've been playing that the past few weeks). I'm not really sure what I was dreaming, only that I wasn't part of the imperial legion, but a different faction of soldier... probably the Blades since whatever it was, was related to protecting the kings. (Tamriel being ruled by an emperor not withstanding.)

Was up a good couple of hours after that and no idea why. Maybe because I disturbed my own slumber to capture the key word.

When i woke up this morning it was something about stacking figurative crowns/titles. I dunno what that was about.

Though it did trigger a recall of a completely different dream from a different night... one where my boss came in with a bunch of coupons (casual day coupons I believe) and said something to the effect of making sure we got our (team's) share of whatever it was the company was giving out.]]>Dream JournalsThu, 10 Feb 2011 18:27:32 +0000Rising from Ashes - by: Strysehttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/5216-rising-from-ashes?start=40#16002
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/5216-rising-from-ashes?start=40#16002]]>Dream JournalsSat, 22 Jan 2011 18:14:48 +0000Having dreams? - by: Setanaokohttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/15410-having-dreams#15429
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/15410-having-dreams#15429
For example, if I saw a shark in my dream and it was attacking someone I love, it might mean that I'm doing something to hurt them and I need to change how I act towards them. To another person, however, it may mean that there is a reason to not trust the loved one.

I see sharks as a negative thing, but in Hawaii many see them as guardians who only protect their charge.

anyways...I've not been dreaming much lately....I wonder if that means I'm under too much stress or if I should take it to be a good thing.]]>Dream JournalsThu, 23 Dec 2010 15:11:22 +0000Tai's Dream - Running From Something - by: http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/15319-tai-s-dream-running-from-something#15320
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/15319-tai-s-dream-running-from-something#15320Dream JournalsMon, 13 Dec 2010 20:37:03 +0000Steve's Dream Journal - by: steven.drew1http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/15132-steve-s-dream-journal#15162
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/15132-steve-s-dream-journal#15162
Today was dreaming about lions and monkeys living with me in a house that was mixed with an apt complex, sort of like the stair painting. And they talked. Pretty wierd.]]>Dream JournalsSun, 28 Nov 2010 22:21:22 +0000Peteshido`s dream log - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/13818-peteshido-s-dream-log#14307
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/13818-peteshido-s-dream-log#14307Dream JournalsThu, 30 Sep 2010 16:27:17 +0000Streen's Dream Log - by: Streenhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/13300-streen-s-dream-log#14191
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/13300-streen-s-dream-log#14191
I had an interesting dream last night about the Jedi. What was kind of cool about it was that I saw my old teacher Mitth again. He and I, along with all the Jedi I knew, were for some reason looking for a place to hold meetings. Some kind of secret location where we'd be safe, as it seemed we were being chased and attacked by someone or some group of people. We found a variety of places, but in the end I had some kind of revelation of what would be the perfect spot. It was some kind of underwater cave, where you had to swim down, around, and then back up into an area that had air. I remember thinking how strange a place it was, how dark and depressing it felt, but we agreed to meet there.

It actually didn't occur to me until later this morning where some of these ideas might have come from. Last week I saw a show about sites that were underwater near the coasts of certain countries in Asia, where it looked like the stone was cut away by people, either as a source of rock for building a temple, or the site of a temple itself. It wasn't the first time I had heard of that sort of thing, but this show showed a map of the entire area and it was just immense. They had video of divers swimming around near it, and I couldn't believe how huge each area of cut-away stone was. If you looked at it like a step, just one was about the height of a 2 or 3 story building.

It strikes me as seeming important that we're only now discovering these places. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of what we're about to find down there.]]>Dream JournalsTue, 14 Sep 2010 19:49:51 +0000Goddard's Dream Log - by: Goddardhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/5147-goddard-s-dream-log#5147
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/5147-goddard-s-dream-log#5147
Despite the fact I accidentally smacked my girl friend in the face and was shouting.]]>Dream JournalsSun, 13 Jan 2008 21:24:00 +0000Beral's Dream Log - by: Jaxhttp://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/4044-beral-s-dream-log?start=10#4236
http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org/forum/27-dream-journals/4044-beral-s-dream-log?start=10#4236 ]]>Dream JournalsWed, 28 Nov 2007 23:24:06 +0000